Gate.



N0. 644,275. Patented Feb. 27, I900. W. A. BYERLY.

GATE.

[Application filed Sept. 27, 1899.) (No Model.)

3 4 I. A I M .Zhve nto 71 WW T 6150mm ms NORRIS versus :0, vnorauvuo, WASHINGTON u. c

'ATENT Fries.

\VILLIAM A. BYERLY, OF BRIDGEWATER, VIRGINIA.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,275, dated February 27, 1900.

Application filed September 2'7, 1899. Serial No. 731,829. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. BYERLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgewater, in the county of Rockingham and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to farm or other gates which are adapted to be opened by a person in a Vehicle approaching the gate.

The object of the invention is to produce a gate and its hanging of peculiar and simple construction by which a change of position of the gate will cause it to open or close by reason of its own weight.

The class of gates to which my invention applies is known as swinging gates, handopened.

Figure l is a face View of a gate with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a plan of a gate and its supporting-posts and operating mechanism, partly in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a plan of the operating-lever and its mounting at the top of the hinge-post.

The gate A may be of any usual or suitable construction. A gate composed of gas-pipe and wire is well adapted for the purpose. The hinge-post B andlatch-post 0 should be firmly set. The bottom hinge of the gate B is an ordinary pintle-hinge. The stop-posts E and F are arranged, as usual in this class of gates, to stop the gate when it has swung fully open, and these posts may have any of the usual catches to hold the gate in open position. The posts E and F are also convenient supports for the handles H and I, by which the gate is swung open or closed. A pull on handle I causes the gate to swing toward post F, as will be explained.

On top of post B there is a metallic base plate K, which is firmly attached to the top of the post. On this plate there are two strong pins L L. A lever M extends between these pins and is provided with notches M and M one or both of which may engage pins L L, as will be explained. Base-plate K has a slot K K which is struck on curves, of which the pins L L are the centers. A small recess K marks the central position between these separate curved slots. A pin 0, rigid with the lever M, extends down into the opening or slot in plate K. The front portion of the lever M receives the top pintle P of the gate. When the lever M is in the central position, (shown by the full lines in Fig. 3,) both notches M and M will be in engagement with the pins L L, and the weight of the gate acting on the lower hinge D as a fulcrum draws the lever M firmly against both said pins, the pin 0 resting against the front side of the slot K-that is, the side toward the gate. By swinging the rear end of lever M to one side, as in Fig. 2, the front pintle P is swung in reverse direction. This lifts the outer end of the gate, freeing its latch or catch from the retaining-notch, and the weight of the gate causes it to swing open in the same direction as that taken by the front or gate side of lever M. When fully open, as in Fig. 2, the gate may rest againstpost F and will preferably be caught there by its latch engaging a hook on the post, as is common. A reverse movement of lever M to midway position(full lines, Fig. 8) lifts the outer end of the gate from the hook on post F, and the Weight of the gate swings it to midway position, where its latch engages a catch on latch-post G. The lever M in its movement turns on one or the other of the pins L L, and the pin 0 follows one or the other of the curved slots K K according to the direction of movement of the rear end of the lever M. Thus by swinging the rear end of the lever M to the east the gate will swing open to the west, and vice versa, supposing the gate to be so mounted as to permit the movement to be in these di rections.

The action of the lever M to cause the gate to open is always from the one or the other pivot L or L. The action of the gate in its closed position is to draw both notches of the lever M against both pins L L, when the lever can hardly be said to work from either pivot. If now when the gate is closed an attempt be made to lift the latched end of the gate, as by a hog or other animal trying to crawl under the gate, the lever M will be pressed backward or away from the gate and thepin O, entering the notch K will form a stop and prevent further movement, so that the front end of the gate cannot lift to any considerable extent except the lever M be swung to one side.

The mechanism for swinging lever lWI may be any usual device well known in this art. I have shown bell-crank levers R, mounted on the posts II I and connected to the outer end of lever M by draw-rods S; but any other suitable mechanism might be employed.

The essential parts of the gate-operating mechanism are comprised in the base-plate K and the lever M and their attachments and in the relative construction and arrangement of said parts.

On the upper hinge as constructed I place a cap plate or binder over the top of pins L L and lever M; but this is not essential to the operation of the device.

The lever M is not permanently attached or pivoted to the base-plate K in any position. The gate swings, therefore, from a variable pivotal point, and there is no uniform center of movement.

What I claim is 1. In a gate-mounting, the lower hinge and hinge-post, a plate on the post having two pins or pintles, a lever having notches which two pins or pintles and a double-curved slot,

the lever between said pintles and having notches in position to make engagement with said pintles, as described, a pin in the lever entering the slot, and a stop for said pin at midway position, all combined substantially as described In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. BYERLY.

Witnesses:

W. A. BARTLETT, M. E. BROWN. 

